pfrunder



Dec. 4,19z3-/ x PFRUNDER 1,476,639

Dec. 4, 1923. 1,476,639

X. PFRUNDER BRAIDING MACHINE Filed July Asa. 192s 2 sheets-shut 2 gg) jf2Q; 35 Mmmm Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

XAVIER PFRUNDER, OF WOHLEN, SWITZERLAND.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

Appiication ined July 9,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, XAvrR PFRUNDER, a citizen of the Republic ofSwitzerland, residing at Wohlen, Canton of Aargau,

I Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBraiding Machines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing. This invention relates toimprovements in braiding machines without guide plates and of the typein which the drivers are provided with gear wheels for rotating thedrivers, and the spool carriers are provided at their lower ends withrecesses with which looking means adapted to move in a substantiallyvertical direction co-operate, the locking means performing the transferof the spool carriers from one driver to the adjacent driver.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improvedconstruction of a l'naiding machine of this type which presents severaladvantages over known mashines, as will be fully set forth hereinafter.According to the present invention each locking means is designed as apin guided in the body of the gear wheel, the upper end of the pin beingadapted to enter into a recess formed by an annular groove provided inthe lower end of the spoolecarrier in order to couple the latter to thedriver, and the lower end of the pin having a plate rigidly fixed to itadapted to effect the transfer of the spool-carrierY from one drivertothe adjacent driver.

The means for guiding the pin may consist of a bore in the body of thegear wheel which boremay be arranged parallel to 40 or at an angle tothe axis of the driver; A spring may be detachably connected to thelocking means urging the latter in the upward direction; a simpleunhooking of the spring renders it thus possible to remove its lockingmeans inthe downward direction so that the number of effective lockingmeans on a driver Vcan be conveniently va- Y. Y ried for the purposeof-varying the pattern t of the braided material. l

Preferably means are provided for preventing a rotation of thespool-carrier during'its transfer from one driver to another which aredescribed hereinafter. -A`constructional example of the subject 1923.Serial N0. 650,392.

matter of the present invention is illustrated on the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. l'shows two adjacent drivers, one in elevation and the other in avertical section, and the lower part of a spool-carrier in its positionbetween the drivers,

Fig. 2 is aplan view of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a part of a horizontal section along the line III-III of Fig.1 showing the locking means and the springs,

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the driver with parts shown in section alongline IV-IV of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 shows the lower part of a spoo1- carrier partly in elevation andlpartly in section,

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section along line Vl-VI of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a View of the lower end of the spool-carrier seen from belowand Fig. 8 is a general arrangement of a braiding machine provided withthe improveinents according to the present invention.

Referring new to the drawings, l denotes the base plate of the braidingmachine on which base fixed. Upon each tube?r a driver 3 is rotatable.Each driver 3 is provided with a gear wheel 4 forming one piece with thedriver, the wheels of the adjacent drivers intermesh and cause adjacentdrivers to rotate in opposite directions. To one or more of said gearwheels 4 rotation is imparted from a driving shaft in a known manner,the general arrangement of a braiding machine of this type isillustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Above the gear wheel acylindrical disk 5 is arranged which is provided at its circumferencewith semi-circular notches 6 for receiving the cylindrical portions 7 ofthe spool-carrier 8 and causing thereby the latter to take part in therotating movement of the driver. Four notches 6 are provided in the disk5 shown in the drawing, however, a greater or smaller number of notchesmay be provided to suit special requirements. -Above the disk 5 afurther disk 9 is arranged provided,

with recesses 10. The disks and 9 of adjacent drivers are arranged atdiiferent elevations, the lower disk 5 projects`- in between disks ll,12- and l2, 13 respectively provided on the spool-carrier, the verticalplate tubes 2 are rigidly distance between the disks 11, 12 and 12, 13Corresponding substantially to the thickness of the res ective discs.The disk 9 of the left hand river in Fig. 1 bears at the top the disk 13of the spool-carrier and the disk 9 of the right hand driver projectsbelow the disk 14 on the spool-carrier. l-.Zy means of the discs 5 and 9of the drivers and the disks 11-14 of the spool-carrier the latter issecured in its vertical position. The disks 5 and 9 of a driver arefixed to the latter by meansof screw nut 15 co-operating with' screwthread 15 on the driver, a set pin 16 passing through the disks and 9and penetrating into the body of the driver prevents a ,turning of saiddisks relatively to the driver. Below the gear wheel 4 a sleeve member17 is provided having a dishshaped enlargement 18 in its upper part. Thelower end of the boss of the driver 3 vfits into a cylindrical recess 17provided in the sleeve member 17 and is secured to the latter by a setscrew 19. The sleeve member 17 is supported by a base part 31 resting onthe table 1. By these means the height of the driver 3 relatively to thetable 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the extent to whichI the lower endof the driver projects into the cylindrical recess 17 The means forlocking the spool-carriers to one or the other of two adjacent driverscomprise the pins 20 which are guided in bores 21 provided in the bodyof the gear wheel. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings the bores 21 are inclined towards the axis of the driver. Tothe lower end of the pin 2O a plat-e 22 is rigidly connected, the outerend of which is shaped as a knife edge 23 and the inner end 24 adjacentto' the driver is recessed to a cylindrical surface which co-operates`with' the outer circumference of the dish- .is adaptedto enter into acylindrical recess 25 provided on the lower side of the disk 11 ofthespool-carrier. The profile of they recess 25 corresponds to theinclination of the bevelled ulper end ofthe pin 20. At

i v the side lor' eac pin 20 a bore 26 is provided in the body of thegear wheel in which bore a compressi onspring 27 is housed and which isdetachably connected with the locking member, one end of the springforming a E hook/28 which enters a hole provided in the i plate' 22. Thespring 27 tends to urge the lockingrmeans inthe upward direction andsaid means inthe disengaged position the plate rests against the surface29 of the driver, the left hand locking means on the left hand driver ofFig. 1; is illustrated ink its position when not engaging a spoolcarrier. 20' denotes,l a circulargroovve Itor lubricating all the pins20 of a driver. In orj der to prevent the knife-edged ends ofthe plates22 of adjacent drivers from striking against each other during therotation of the drivers, the surfaces 29 of adjacent drivers arearranged at different elevations.

In order` to remove a locking means it is sufficient to disengage theend 28 of the spring, the locking means may then be drawn out in thedownward direction without any dismantling of the driver.

In order to prevent a rotationof a spoolcarrier during the transfer ofthe latter from one driver to the adjacent driver there is provided onthe arbor of the spool-carrier a part 29 having the shape of 4a flatiron (Fig. 6,); the notches 10 in the disk 9 are so shaped that twonotchesinthe disks 9 of the adjacent drivers surround the part 29 withclearance when they register. The part 29 is made in one piece with thedisk 14 and with a sleeve part 32 and the whole is slotted in the radialdirection at- 33 so that it can be clamped by means of the set pins 34and 35 t0 the arbor 8 of the spoolcarrier, Vover which it is pushed.

The transfer of a spool-carrier is carried out in the following manner:

In the disengaged position of the locking means, i. e. when nospool-carrier is inserted in the notch 6 of the disk 5 arranged abovethe locking means, the latter is v.pressedby the action of the spring inthe upward direction s0 that the upper face of the plate 22 bearsagainst the face 29 of the driver'. 10

The insertion `of a spool-carrier into a driver is effected by pushingthe spool-carrier sidewise upon the disks 5 and 9 whereby the bevellededge 30 of thel disk 11 glides over the bevelled end `of lthe pin 20 andcauses a 105 displacement of the latter in the downward directionagainst the action of the spring 27. Toward the end of this sidewisemovement, when the spool-carrier has fullyentered the notch 6 the pin20, under the action of its no spring, enters into the circular groove25. The bevelled end of the pin 20abuts against the bottom of the grooveV25 and the upward movement of the pin is limited thereby. In Fig. 1 thelocking means of the right hand driver isV illustrated in this positionand it will be seen from the drawing that with the locking Vmeans inthis position .the plate v22` does not bear against the surface 2.9i ofthe l 0 driver but is at a lower level. Y j

When a spool-carrier ylocked toene of the drivers is carried around tothe adjacentV driver the locking means of the first driver coniesilintoco-operation with the disengaged locking means of the ,other driver.Therebythe knifejedge 23v of the plate 22of .the disengaged V.means islpushed zover the knife edge of the plate 22' ofthe means engaging thespool carrier and causes a displacement of the latter in 'thedownwarddireotion.

The pin of the previously engaged locking means is Withdrawn from thegroove and upon the further rotary movement of the drivers the pin 20 ofthe previously disengaged locking means enters into the circulargrooveof the spool-carrier, whereby the latter is locked to the adjacentdriver.

The thickness of the disks 5 and 9 can be so chosen that the lower disk5 of a driver is made thicker than the disk 5 of an adjacent driverwhich is at a higher elevation, the vertical distance between discs 11and l2 on the spool-carrier being chosen larger than the verticaldistance between the disks l2 and 13 of the spool-carrier to correspondto the difference in the thickness of the disks 5. The disks 9 are madethinner than the thinner one of the disks 5. Thereby the advantage isobtained that the thickest of the disks 5 after it has been worn, may beground and thereafter be inserted to replace a thinner disk 5 of anadjacent driver, whilst the worn thinner disk 5 of the latter can beworked to the shape and thickness of the disk 9. The securing ofthedisks by means of a screw joint to the driver permits a convenientexchange of said disks.

' In order to prevent waste material from lodging in the bore 2G inwhich the spring 27 is arranged a cover 36, as indicated in Fig. 4, maybe provided for closing said bore.

Vith the braiding machine according to the present invention thepossibility of making the driver and its gear wheel of one piece, i. e.to cast them in one piece, implies a considerable simplification andreduction in the costs of manufacturing a braiding machine; furthermorethe undesirable disarranging or getting loose of the gear wheel on thedriver is thus avoided.

Further advantages over the known braiding machines are the following: Ashort movement and a good guidance of the locking means, the guide rodof the locking; means forms itself the member which locks thespool-carrier, a secure action of the locking means with the circulargroove in the spool-carrier is always ensured, the locking means worktherefore always in a reliable manner when the machine runs at highspeeds. The locking means are operative for both directions of rotationof .the ma.- chine. Locking means and springs are protected againstwaste material and therefore work reliably. The fact that when thelocking means engages a spool carrier and the end of the pin abutsagainst the bottom of the groove, makes the provision of a sepa-V ratestop for restricting the upward movement of the pin of the loadedlocking means superfluous. By a single grip the locking means can beremoved without it being necessary to dismantle the driver, wherebygreat saving of time and an increased output results when the pattern ofthe braid has to be changed frequently.

The securing of the disk to the driver by means of a screw joint is aconsiderable advantage over the known method for riveting the disks tothe drivers as it permits a convenient exchange of the worn disks.

I claim: j l. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear wheels and with notches for thereception of the spool-carriers, and locking means comprising a pinguided in the body of the gear wheel, the upper end of said pin adaptedto enter into the circular recess of a spool-carrier and the lower endhaving a plate rigidly fixed thereto for operating the locking means andeffecting the transfer of a spoolcarrier from one driver to an adjacentdriver.

2. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear wheels made in one piece with thedrivers and with notches for the reception of the spoolcarriers, andlocking means comprising a pin guided Iin the body of the gear wheel,the upper end of said pin adapted to enter into the circular recess of'a spool-carrier and the lower end having a plate rigidly ixed theretofor operating a co-operating locking means and effecting the transfer ofa spool-carrier from one driver to an adjacent driver.

3. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear wheels made in one piece with thedrivers and with notches for the recep-tion of the spool-carriers, andlocking means comprising a pin guided in a bore provided in the body ofthe gear wheel at an angle to the axis of the driver, the upper end ofsaid pin adapted to enter into the circular recess of a spoolcarrier andthe lower end having a plate rigidly fixed thereto for operating thelocking means of an adjacent driver and thereby effecting the transferof a spool-carrier from one driver to an adjacent driver.

4. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear wheels made in one piece with thedrivers, and with notches for the reception of the spool-carriers, andlocking means comprising a pin guided in a bore provided in'the body ofthe gear wheel at an angle to the axis of the driver, aspring arrangedat the side of the pin and detachably connected to the locking means andadapted to urge the latter in the upward direction for causing the upperend of said pin to enter into the circular recess of a spool-carrier,and a plate rigidly fixed to the lower end of said pin for operating thelocking means and el'ect-" ing the transfer of a spool-carrier from onedriver to an adjacent driver.

5. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear wheels made in one piece with thedrivers, disks connected to said -drivers by means of a screw joint andprovided with notches for the reception of the spool-carriers, andlocking means comprising a pin guided in a bore provided in the body ofthe gear wheel at an angle to the axis of a driver, the upper end ofsaid pin adapted to enter into the circular recess of a spool-carrierand the lower end having a plate rigidly fixed thereto for operating thelocking means and effecting the transfer of a spool-carrier from onedriver to an adjacent driver.

6. In a braiding machine, the combination with a lplurality'ofspool-carriers each having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of -drivers provided with gear wheels made in one piece with thedrivers, disks connected to said VJdrivers by means of a screw joint andprovided with notches for the reception of the spool-carriers, an-dlocking means comprising a pin guided in' a boreprovided in the body ofthe gear wheel at an angle to the axis of the driver, a spring arrangedat the side of the ,pin and detachably connected to the llocking meansand adapted to urge the latter in the upward direction for causing theup 3er end of said pin to enter into the circular recess of aspool-carrier, and a plate rigidly fixed to the lower end of said pinfor operating the locking means to permit the transfer of aspool-carrier from one driver to an adjacent driver.

7. In a braiding machine, thecombination with a plurality ofspool-carrierseach having a circular recess provided in their lowerends, of drivers provided with gear Wheels made in one piece with thedrivers, disks connected to said drivers by means of ya screw joint andprovidedwith notches for the vreception of the spool-carriers, a ysleevemember .provided below each driver and having a. cylindrical bore, thelower' end ,of the driver fitting and projecting into said bore to agreater or smaller extent for adjusting the elevation ,of the drivers,and locking means comprising a pin guided in a bore lprovided in thebody of the gear eoV wheel at an angle to the axis of the driver, .l

the upper end of ,said pin adapted to enter into the circular recess ofa spool-carrier and the lower end having a plate rigidly fixed theretofor operating the locking means and effecting the transfer of aspoolcarrier from one driver to an adjacent driver. Y

8. In a braiding machine, the combination with a plurality of spoolcarriers each having a circular recess; of notched drivers for i thereception of said carriers, gear Wheels on the drivers and depressiblepins movable with the carriers and arranged to enter said circularrecesses and hold the carriers in the notches of the drivers, and meanson the n XAVER BFRUNDER. e

